Sunday, November 25, 2012

Event #1- Greatest Silence: Rape in Congo

City of Bucavo

Congo

This film was very intense for me. I was emotionally everywhere as I watched this film. At times I was confused about some of the things they said, I was sad, then I'd become angry, I'd become happy, and at times I would also want to cry. I can connect this with the phrase we talk about in class, "boys will be boys". There was a man in the film that talked about how "God say man must command, must give the orders." I can honestly say that it made me a little upset when he said this. I started to question his actions because if he is a believer in God, why is he rapping women? He is making them suffer in such a permanent way. He rapes and he takes away from these women, and what he takes away is something that he can never take back. Its something emotional, its physical, its personal, its much more than something that can be imagined, and to think about would drive one insane trying to figure it out because its something so deep. He is using God as an excuse to rape and that is just unacceptable, the rape itself is just unacceptable and hurtful to begin with. Hurt is actually an understatement. I connect this action with the phrase "boys will be boys" because it gives men an excuse for their behavior and what this man just portrayed saying, ""God say man must command, must give the orders." was to me translated as "boys will be boys".

Quotes from the
Victims of Rape and Sexual Violence:

“Everyday there is a new horror”

“Every time I sees a soldier in uniform I tremble” said a
victim

“You must pull together and help one another”

“We are considered half human beings”

“The woman is the mother of the nation”

“Take care of the women”

“Nurture, work so that the family can live, and carry
everything.

But it is the women who have also paid the highest price”

“If we destroy her, the rest is over”

“Women are suffering”

“We have forgotten what happiness is.”

Victums of sexual violence, rape are not accepted in their society

Rape is also destroying their society

These are Their Stories:

- Seven men raped a young lady and her rectum completely
burned out

- 4 year old female child rapped by a man in the village

Soldiers in the cognali army were raping women in the forest

- “they rape because of their need and then they feel like a
man”

- “God says man must command must give the orders”

She called it “sexual terrorism” the interviewer says

- she also says it is rare to see a raped woman get a second
chance

Thinking it would protect them from the battle the men were
ordered to rape

A man said before rapping the women he would make sure the
women were in good health, would look at her and determine whether or not she
looked sick.

Some women were rapped by at least 20 men he said.

The women police officer of rape and sexual violence says we
have to fight the problem of impunity

- Their bodies are suffering. They take the blood of their wound
after they force the women to abort when they are rapped and put it in a bowl
and tell them to drink the blood. The soldiers are all allowed to rape these
women.